Author: News Desk

Kolkata: The West Bengal Joint Platform of Doctors (WBJPD) was planning to begin a sit-in demonstration in the heart of Kolkata from Tuesday over the CBI investigation into the RG Kar hospital rape and murder case, in which two key suspects were granted bail.

The proposed demonstration of the WBJPD, an umbrella organisation of five associations, will be held till December 26 at the Doreena Crossing, an office-bearer said.

“We also demand the immediate submission of the supplementary chargesheet by the CBI,” said doctor Punyabrata Gun, a joint convener of WBJPD.

He said WBJPD wrote to Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma, seeking permission for the 10-day demonstration.

“We have sought permission from the police to set up a temporary stage without any interruption to the traffic movement. We have assured them that the demonstration will be conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner following all legal and safety guidelines,” Gun said.

They have also asked the police to ensure the safety of all participants.

The WBJPD on Saturday organised a march to the CBI office at CGO Complex in Salt Lake over the issue.

An on-duty female doctor of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was found dead on August 9, triggering nationwide protests.

On Friday, the Sealdah court granted bail to the ex-principal of RG Kar Medical College Sandip Ghosh and former officer-in-charge of Tala police station Abhijit Mondal in the rape-murder case.

They were granted bail after the CBI “failed” to file a charge sheet within the mandatory 90-day period.

The world of Indian music lost its rhythm when one of its renowned sons, Ustad Zakir Hussain, passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2024. The Tabla virtuoso was 73 at the time of his death. He died in San Francisco, US.

Zakir Hussain No More

Tributes have been pouring in for the Tabla maestro, who, along with his father, Ustad Alla Rakha Qureshi, brought the instrument and the sound of tabla to the fore from the backyard of Indian classical music.

Names from the Indian corporate realm also joined others in expressing their tribute to the musical behemoth.

Harsh Goenka Responds

Harsh Goenka, head of RPG Group took to his X account to express his condolences after following the news of the maestro’s demise.

Goenka, in his heartfelt post, said, “The world falls silent as the tabla loses its maestro.”

Furthermore, talking about his achievements on the global scale and lauding his role for putting Indian music on the world map Goenka added, “Ustad Zakir Hussain, a rhythmic genius who brought the soul of India to global stages, has left us.”

“I was privileged to know him because of his connection with HMV and hear him perform at our home. His beats will echo eternally.”, Goenka said. Goenka’ post carried small clipping of the late maestro in action.

Anand Mahindra Shares His Thoughts

Mahindra Group’s Anand Mahindra also took to X, to express his tribute towards the late maestro.

In his post, Anand Mahindra said, “The rhythm of India paused today. n tribute. #ZakirHussain”.

Anand Mahindra also shared a small clipping of tabla player in his tribute post. However, it is to be noted that, the artist in the video is not Zakir Hussain, instead it is Pakistani artist Ustaad Abdul Sattar.

Tributes and positive comments have been pouring in from all sides, as India, and the world at large bids adieu to one of its most gifted musician magcians of all time.

The accused were produced before a magistrate and have been remanded to judicial custody. Further investigations are ongoing.

Bengaluru: In a massive development in the techie Atul Subhash suicide case, the Marathahalli police have arrested three accused— Nikita Singhania, Nisha Singhania, and Anurag Singhania. According to the reports, the arrests were carried out in Gurugram, Haryana, and Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Nikita Singhania was arrested in Gurugram, while Nisha and Anurag Singhania were arrested in Allahabad. All three were taken into custody following investigations linking them to the suicide case.

The accused were produced before a magistrate and have been remanded to judicial custody.

Filmmaker Atlee, who is gearing up for the release of his next, titled Baby John, starring Varun Dhawan in the lead, appeared on The Great Indian Kapil Show on Saturday. During a segment, netizens felt that host Kapil Sharma tried to insult the director for his looks, however, Atlee’s gave a befitting reply to him, and with that, he also won over the internet.

A video clip from the episode has now gone viral on the internet in which Kapil can be heard asking Atlee, “Has it ever happened that you went to meet a star and they didn’t recognise you? Have they asked where is Atlee?”

While Atlee looked a bit taken aback by the question at first, he went on to reply, “Sir, in a way I understood your question. I’ll try to answer. I am very thankful to AR Murugadoss sir because he produced my first film. He asked for the script, but he didn’t see how I am looking and whether I am capable of it or not, but he loved my narration.”

“World should see that. We should not judge by appearance, we should judge by the heart,” Atlee added, and the audience was seen breaking into a thunderous applause over his response.

Netizens slammed Kapil for the question and for trying to put down the filmmaker. “Kapil’s ‘humour’ is taking personal potshots at anyone in the audience or not very high profile guests. Not funny (sic),” an X user wrote, while another stated, “Maybe be his intention was not that but then he should have framed the question in much much better way. But all in all he is a champion of body shaming so not surprising at all (sic).”

Meanwhile, Atlee is set to deliver his second venture in Bollywood, after stepping a firm foot in the Hindi film industry with Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan in 2023. The film shattered all records at the box office and became one of the highest grossing films of Indian cinema with over Rs 1000 crore collection.

Baby John, which is scheduled to release on December 25, is an adaptation of Atlee’s own Tamil film, Theri, that starred Thalapathy Vijay. While Varun plays the lead in Baby John, it also features Wamiqa Gabbi, Keethy Suresh and Jackie Shroff in key roles.